Adequately maintaining the buildings on Kansas university campuses is simply the responsible thing to do. Neglecting that responsibility is a misuse of taxpayer money.

A report released this week by the Kansas Board of Regents details $584 million in needed maintenance for academic and administrative buildings on the state’s six universities. Because it is the state’s largest university, Kansas University’s needs logically top the list with a $168.5 million maintenance backlog.

Universities have not fallen behind because of their own negligence; the current situation is attributed to a couple of factors. First, state funding has been meager. The $10 million a year allocated for university maintenance just isn’t adequate.

The problem has been exacerbated by the fact that the many buildings constructed between 1960 and 1980 to accommodate the baby boom generation of students no longer are new and, consequently have greater maintenance demands. If those demands are not met, some of those buildings may soon be beyond repair.

Further delays in maintenance would have a variety of negative results. First, the state could be exposing itself to liability if poorly maintained buildings result in accidents and injuries. Poorly maintained buildings also tend to be less efficient, perhaps resulting in higher utility bills as well as inconvenience and discomfort for those who work in them.

If buildings are allowed to deteriorate beyond repair, they will have to be replaced. KU’s enrollment is at an all-time high; there is no reduction in the space demands. Dedicating the funds to maintain existing, serviceable buildings is far less expensive than building new ones.

The $74 million the Regents estimated should be allocated annually for building maintenance isn’t an insignificant sum, but, from a penny-wise-pound-foolish perspective, it’s a sound and necessary investment in the future of our state universities.

The state has a basic responsibility to protect the investment both of Kansas taxpayers and of generous donors who have helped fund the construction of the majority of university buildings. A university is more than its buildings, but having adequate structures to house university personnel and operations is important to how a university functions as well as the public image it projects.